Plot

The episode opens with a video on safety called "Watch Out Little Teddy." It revolves around Little Teddy, an accident prone bear, who is repeatedly injured and then reprimanded by the narrator for being unsafe. The video's creepy and unsettling nature frightens Mr. Small and the students, but no one is more affected than Darwin. On the way home, Darwin starts being overprotective of Gumball, and jumps into action at even the slightest perceived threat.

The next day, Gumball wakes up and later discovers that Darwin has put a child filter on the house, and that he cannot say any swear words (even though he does not know any). All the food has been replaced by pure protein, carbohydrates, fat, and vitamins because Darwin is worried about harmful substances. Darwin states that it is for their own good, much to Gumball's irritation. Richard, Anais, and Nicole repeat it in a dazed voice, then afterwards, Darwin stops Richard from eating too many vitamins.

In the living room, Gumball turns the TV on and watches a cartoon. The character, a wolf, tries to catch another character, an ostrich. While Gumball laughs, Darwin calls the wolf and reprimands him for using unsafe dynamite and an anvil. Then he also reprimands the ostrich for running, because it is dangerous. He then persuades them to remove the violence, jokes and music. After Darwin says that all of this is for their own good, the characters become hypnotized and start chanting "It is for our own good" as well. Gumball, in rage, bites his own tail which causes him to smash into the ceiling and fall unconscious, with birds flying over his head, much to Darwin’s dismay.

Gumball wakes up in the living room, chained to a chair. He sees his family, also tied up but seemingly brainwashed, and they reveal that Darwin is now trying to make Elmore safe. After Gumball is shocked by a device (the equivalent of him exercising "safely"), fed by a machine, and sees a bucket under his chair, he questions his family about how they would give up their freedom. At this point, his family reveals that they are just pretending to be brainwashed because they are being watched by a camera, but Gumball does not get this until he notices the camera behind him. Then he sees the key to their locks, eats a cactus while trying to get the key, and creates a replica key out of the cactus instead.

Now free, they set out to stop Darwin from invading the world to make it safe. They easily escape Darwin's minions (led by Principal Brown), because of their delays caused by ensuring their own safety. The Wattersons arrive at the town hall (Darwin's lair), and Gumball makes a plan: Richard would create a diversion, allowing Nicole, Anais and Gumball to zip-line inside. Once inside, Nicole would neutralize the guards while Anais would disable the alarm systems and open the door, and this will allow Gumball to confront Darwin.

The first part of the plan goes smoothly after a disguised Richard takes out the guard at the entrance. After breaking the fourth wall by smashing into a warning notice while zip-lining, Nicole stays behind inside the town hall to deal with the guards. At the entrance of Darwin's lair, Anais quickly disables the security systems and opens the door. Then Gumball enters the lair and leaves behind Anais as she explains her complex process of how she disabled the security systems.

In the lair, Gumball confronts Darwin with a semi-dramatic entrance. After ignoring advice to use the stairs, he swings down with a curtain, and makes Darwin see his own extreme ways with safety. After a short chat, Darwin accepts the fact that life isn't always safe, and decides to get rid of all his safety measures and rules. But before he gets rid of his rules, Gumball asks if he can add one.

At school, the students all line up in the school hallway and salute Gumball and Darwin as the lords of Elmore. Then they slap themselves, and the brothers can be heard laughing as they walk by.

Trivia

The safety video shown at the beginning of the episode was animated by Jérémie Périn.[1] This is the second time he animates for the series, as he and Mikael Robert created the pixel art sequence in "The Words."

The fourth wall is broken in three ways in this episode:

Darwin's "child filter" causes a few fourth wall breaks, such as Gumball noticing his dialogue being censored.

They also notice the "Biff!," "Kapow!," and "Twiddle!" action cards that appear on the screen.

According to Darwin's cameras, this episode takes place on February 9, 2014.

57 characters appeared in this episode, making it the third most in the series, and beating "The Oracle" and "The Parking," which both had 55 characters. The ones beating "The Safety" are "The Butterfly," tied with "The Spoiler" (65 characters), and "The World" (83 characters).

The Latin motto "Pro Salute Omnium" written on the floor in Darwin's lair translates to "For safety."

This is the third time Richard dresses as a woman. The first two were in "The Finale," and "The Name."

Footage of Rocky and Teri from "The Joy" is displayed on Darwin's surveillance monitors.

Molly reappears in person at Elmore Junior High for the first time since "The Fight."

Cultural References

The manner in which the characters speak the phrase "It's for our own good" throughout the episode may be a reference to the British police comedy film Hot Fuzz in which the brainwashed residents utter "The Greater good" in a very similar fashion.

The action scenes with Nicole against the colored security guards is a reference to the fight scenes to the 1966 Batman TV series.

When the footage of the safety video warps, still images of Overlook Hotel from The Shining can be briefly seen.

The safety video at the start of the episode is a possible reference to the public information films (PIF), which were shown during British commercial breaks in the 70s, and were known for their creepy and unsettling nature.

The Wattersons' line "all resistance is futile" is a reference to the Star Trek species known as the Borg, who usually say "resistance is futile" before assimilating their victims.

The logo that appears in Darwin's lair is based off the Shocker logo from the 1971 tokusatsu program Kamen Rider.

Goofs/Errors

When Darwin shoves Gumball away from a puddle, he has 4 legs when he screams "Drowned!" at Gumball.

When Gumball and Darwin laugh at the end of the episode, Darwin's mouth doesn't move.

When Gary appears on the surveillance monitor, he has no eyes.

Principal Brown and Tony appear on the cameras despite being stationed outside the City Hall.

When Gumball takes off his pants, there are a couple of frames where his crotch is uncensored.

This episode takes place on February 9, 2014, which was a Sunday. However, Gumball and Darwin were at school yesterday on February 8 in the beginning of the episode, which would be Saturday.

[The camera zooms out from a TV in Miss Simian's classroom. Beside it, Mr. Small is screaming, frightened by the video. Gumball, Darwin, Sarah, Leslie, Masami, Molly, and Tobias, who were watching the video are frozen, with horrified expressions on their faces]

Mister Small​: Okay. Everyone, take the rest of the day off. I'm just gonna-

[The haunted Mr. Small grabs a trash bin, uses it to cover his head, and rocks gently in a corner. The other students (except for Darwin) walk away, all of them still having the same facial expressions. Darwin remains seated, and the camera zooms into his face]

Safety Measures

[By the pavement, Betty prepares to cross a road. Suddenly, a screaming Darwin throws a trash bin at her, and pulls Gumball along with him]

Gumball: Dude! Have you lost your mind? What was that all about?

Darwin: CAREFUL!

[Darwin tackles Gumball before he steps into a puddle]

Gumball: What the what are you doing!?

Darwin: Keeping you safe. You almost stepped in a puddle, man. You could have slipped. Or worse: DROWNED!

Gumball: Dude, I think you might be overreacting just a teeny tiny bit.

Darwin: I love you too much to let you get hurt! I'll keep you safe! I'LL KEEP EVERYONE SAFE!

[Betty places a hand on Darwin]

Betty: Are you kids alright?

[Darwin flips her over, and sends her flying into a nearby window. He screams after]

Darwin: Come on! [Darwin drags Gumball away]

Gumball: [To Betty] Sorry!

Betty: Oh, it's quite alright!

Child Filter

[The next morning, Gumball wakes up and goes to the bathroom. He screams shrilly, and frantically runs downstairs]

Nicole: I'm sorry, but your brother is right. Vegetables are full of pesticides, meat is full of hormones, fish is full of mercury, milk is not meant to be digested, sugar makes you fat–

Darwin: And bread is full of gluten! The only solution is to eat pure proteins, carbohydrates, fat, minerals, and vitamins. It is for our own good!

Nicole, Richard, and Anais: [Dazed] It is for our own good.

Richard: Can you pass the iron?

[Richard is given a block of iron which he shreds and chews]

Richard: Ah.

Gumball: Am I the only one here who thinks this is COMPLETELY CRAZY!?

Darwin: Is it crazy to keep your loved ones safe?

Richard: I don't mind, as long as I'm full.

[Richard walks to the fridge, making clanking sounds as he walks, and opens it]

Darwin: Careful, Mr. Dad. It's dangerous to take too many vitamins.

[Richard sadly closes the fridge, and as he groans, magnets stick to his stomach]

[In the living room, Gumball turns on the TV, and watches cartoons. An Ostrich runs through a desert, while the Wolf prepares to catch the Ostrich with dynamite and explosives. Gumball laughs, unaware of Darwin dialing a number beside him. Then the Wolf picks up his phone]

Wolf: Hello?

Darwin: Hi. I'd like to complain about your cartoon. I disapprove of the use of dynamite. It is imitable, and could endanger the life of a child.

[Nicole, Anais, and Richard (still retaining their guises) gesture towards the kitchen counter with their eyes and heads. Gumball notices the key to their locks]

Gumball: [Evil face] Of course!

[Gumball hops with his chair to the counter. He glances at his family, and they nod. Then he springs, and instead takes the nearby potted cactus with his mouth]

Gumball: Got it!

[Richard, Nicole, and Anais shake their heads. Gumball painstakingly chews up the cactus, while his family watch in puzzlement (although still pretending to be happy). After a while, Gumball forms a replica of the key out of the cactus he chewed up with his mouth. He spits it towards one of his paws, and unlocks himself as the camera swivels away. Anais, Richard, and Nicole have now dropped their guises, and their puzzlement is plainly shown]

Gumball: What?

Nicole: Oh, nothing. Let's get out of here, and stop your brother!

Overthrowing the Safety Regime

[Richard, Nicole, Gumball, and Anais barge through the door of their house, and run to confront Darwin]

Nicole: He's at the town hall. We have to get there, and stop him!

Gumball: Before what?

Anais: He plans to invade the rest of the world to make it safe!

[They screech to a halt]

Gumball: How do you know about all this?

Nicole: He told us.

Gumball: Why didn't you stop him?

Richard: Because, it's Darwin. He's really cute.

Nicole: Aw, he was all like– [Nicole imitates Darwin] "All resistance is futile!"

Anais: [Anais imitates Darwin] "Those who stray from the path will be corrected!"

Gumball: How could you not see he was dangerous? Actually, now that I think of it, it must have been adorable!

All: Aw.

Gumball: Now, alright! Let's take this cutie patootie down!

[Before Gumball can punch a fist into his paw, the sound of rubber is heard. Gumball, Anais, Nicole, and Richard are seen surrounded by citizens in protective gear, armed with batons. They raise their batons, but are interrupted by Principal Brown]

Nigel Brown: [Quietly] I don't mean to alarm you or damage your eardrums by shouting, but under the new regime you are under arrest for treason. Please don't force us to use our balloon batons.

Nigel Brown: Control, we have no other choice but to engage in a vehicle chase.

[They inch to a parked vehicle, and begin to push it]

Nigel Brown: [Groans] I wish we were still allowed to drive.

Harold: I'm sorry sir, but under the new regime, complaining about the regime is a punishable offense.

[Harold and Jeff repeatedly hit Principal Brown's head with their batons.]

The Plan

[ The Wattersons arrive at the town hall]

Gumball: Okay. So, here's how we get in.

[Gumball traces an invisible diagram in the air, explaining his plan as he speaks]

Gumball: Okay, now, you're there. We come in from there. We go around there, and we meet there. Is that clear? Let's go!

[Richard imitates Gumball drawing the diagram]

Richard: It's not working!

Gumball: Dad, that was just a diagram.

Anais: Well, we couldn't see it.

Gumball: Yeah. Fair point. Okay, the plan is this: dad creates a diversion at the entrance, allowing us to zip-line inside; mom neutralizes the first three guards; Anais hacks into the alarm system and opens the door, so I can get to Darwin– [Evil face] and destroy him!

[Anais, Nicole, and Richard look at him with shocked expressions]

Gumball:[Normal] Verbally.

[The plan begins. From the top of a building, Nicole, Gumball, and Anais watch a wary Neckbeard at the entrance. Then he suddenly sees Richard, dressed like a woman. As he confusedly expresses himself quietly, Richard knocks him out with a fire hydrant. Richard gives two thumbs-ups]

Gumball: Why'd you need to wear a dress to do that?

Richard: So I can do this.

[Richard repeatedly spins around, playfully. Then Nicole grabs a bar from an antenna]

Nicole: Come on, guys! Hold on to me.

[They crash into a warning scene, and slide down]

TV Narrator: Warning: These stunts are performed by cartoon characters. Do not under any circumstances attempt to imitate or recreate the majority of things that happen in cartoons. Obviously.

[Nicole, Gumball, and Anais enter the town hall. A red guard notices them]

Nicole: Leave this to me!

[Nicole cracks her paws, her neck, her head, and her ears. Then she charges at the guard. But before she can land a punch on him, a title card with "BIFF!!" on it blocks the action]

Nicole: Did anyone see what happened? I'm pretty sure I didn't hit this guy.

Purple Guard: Hey!

[The purple guard charges. Before Nicole can kick him, another title card with "KAPOW!!" replace the action]

Nicole: "Twiddle?" What? And he's now censoring the sound effects as well?

[More orange guards and a green security guard appear]

Nicole: You guys go on ahead. This is gonna be pretty boring to watch.

[After Gumball and Anais run off, Nicole and the guards clash, but their fight is censored by yet another card with "EDITED!". Anais and Gumball enter a corridor lined with surveillance monitors on each side]